Yamada Hanataro
by Saiyan5Nine-tails
Summary: 100 years ago, a terrible tragedy befell Yamada Hanataro. With no memory of this tragedy, Hanataro comes to Las Noches. What is the secret behind that terrible night, and what will happen to Rukia Kuchiki that causes the memory to re-emerge? RukiHana.
1. Tragedy

**Just so people know, I don't own any part of Bleach.**

I give thanks to **_iealchemist _**at Onemanga forums for inspiring this.

* * *

Tragedy...

_It...hurts, _Hantaro thought, in shock from his wounds, _it hurts so much. Rukia, _he thought, seeing the mark on Rukia's face, _the Espada...took control of her...made her...attack me. It feels so...cold. _Hanataro's eyes clouded over, as his eye sight grew dark, and remembered his past...

-

_It was roughly 100 years ago, and Hanataro was just a small child, in the care of his sitter. She was a kind, caring woman. Hanataro was always put in her care, because his father was an acting Vice-Captain of the Gotei 13. He looked up to his father, and when he grew up, wanted to be just like him. _

"_Captain Unohana is such a motherly woman," he once told Hanataro, "but she can be quite scary when provoked." He chuckled. "If you ever join the Gotei 13, what division do you want to be in?"_

_A small Hanataro smiled brightly. "I want to be like you, Dad! I wanna be part of Squad 4!"_

"_That's the spirit, Hanataro," Seinosuke smiled, and ruffled Hanataro's hair, "you'll be the second Yamada in Squad 4."_

_The Yamada family was a Noble family, lower than most families. In fact, compared to the other noble families, they were like commoners; nobody. They even lived in the Rukongai. None of the Yamada family had ever become Shinigami before Seinosuke Yamada became Vice-Captain of Squad 4. Seinosuke was proud of Hanataro. He had such a smile on his face when Hanataro managed to form an orb of reiatsu in between his hands._

_Hanataro never knew who his mother was. In fact, Seinosuke never told him about her. The one time he met Captain Unohana, he felt some connection to her. Hanataro thought it was the motherly personality that his father told him about. However, he felt that...it was something more._

_-_

In his memories, Hanataro saw something he never saw before, or didn't remember, because he didn't like what he remembered...

_Hanataro was curled up in a ball, afraid of the recent incidents of destroyed souls. He heard them one night, close by. The agonizing screams, and he even saw one such person vanish right in front of his eyes, a white substance cascading out of her mouth, and tears streaming down from her eyes, as she was swiftly annihilated. He couldn't see who it was, but he remembered a pair of completely white glasses, reflecting the light, and a cold smile. He ran home that night, and cried the entire day after. _

_That night, someone knocked on the door. Remembering the man with glasses, he asked his sitter, his voice squeaking in fear. "Who...who is it?"_

"_Don't be scared, Hana-chan," his sitter said, her nervous smile trying to re-assure Hanataro, "it's probably no one." Her hands trembled as she reached for the door, a kitchen knife hidden behind her back; she wasn't taking any chances._

_She opened it. A pair of bright, white glasses appeared. The sitter recognized the figure from what Hantaro saw, and described to her. "Is Yamada Hanataro home?" He asked in a cold, courteous voice that sent chills up her spine. _

"_I WON'T LET YOU HURT HIM!" She revealed the knife behind her back, and stabbed forward. She knew there was nothing she could probably do, since she recognized his clothes as that of a Shinigami, but she wasn't going to let this man, whoever he was, hurt Hanataro. He was like a son to her._

_The man caught her hand, and pointed a finger, and touched her heart with it. "Hado 4, Byakurai."_

_A blue bolt of reiatsu tore through her body, and her blood splattered Hanataro's face. "Ah...ah..." He said wordlessly, a coldness building inside his gut._

"_I toned down the power of the blast, so it didn't completely annihilate your body," Aizen said to the sitter, as she dropped to the ground, "so you can see the boy, one last time."_

"_H...Hanataro...run..." That was all she could whisper, before the light vanished from her eyes._

_Hantaro's small form quivered and shook from the sight of his sitter being killed by the man with the glasses. "K...K...KEIKO-SAN!!!" He ran directly at the man with glasses, enraged that Keiko, his sitter, was so brutally murdered before his very eyes. Before he could reach the man, a massive force bore down on him, and he fell into Keiko's blood, his shaking eyes meeting her._

"_You're still young," the man said, pulling a syringe out of his sleeve, "but you have ripe potential as one last experiment." Hanataro strained to even direct his eyes to the syringe, filled with a white material, which he injected into Hanataro, causing him to cry out in agony, for the woman who had been a mother to him all his life..._

_-_

"KEIKO-SAN!" Hanataro screamed, jack-knifing upwards. He felt his face, and found that he was crying. His body felt cold, as if it had broken out in cold sweat. "Hanataro, what's wrong?"

He quickly turned his head, expecting to see Keiko for some reason, but he saw Isane instead, with a worried look on her face. "...Just a dream," he told her, "about something I don't remember. It was...horrible." His face contorted into a pained expression as he remembered the details, and the feeling of blood was livid in his memory. His mind snapped back to the present, as he remembered: _Rukia! _

He looked over at her, and quickly got out a blanket that Isane gave him, and as gently as he could, laid Rukia down on it, as he and Isane began to tend to her wounds. _I won't let you die, Rukia,_ he thought, remembering the second reason why he became a Shinigami after that memory, _not like Keiko-san._

He shivered; it may have just been it's oppressive air, but something about Hueco Mundo felt...welcoming. That vial of white substance flashed in his mind, and he shook his head, and focused on healing. But something...kept whispering in the back of his mind, something that felt dark and cold, but...caring at the same time. The voice echoed:

_Welcome home, Yamada Hanataro._


	2. Hanataro

Hanataro...

Later on, he struggled to catch up with everyone else, who had left for the field of battle with the last of the Arrancar. He could see the explosions of sand in the distance, and the hulking figure that created them. _He's...he's huge!!_ Hanataro thought, his mind quaking at even the thought of being near it. But he made a promise to himself in Soul Society, after he saw Ichigo giving it his all to rescue Rukia: he'd give it his all too, and do what he could.

After at least ½ hour more of running, he stopped panting, and marvelled at the huge size of the Arrancar, and saw the number on it's shoulder: 0. _But...I thought the Espada only went up to 1, _Hanataro thought, _how is this possible? _Suddenly, his mind flashed to Aizen as he was as a Captain of Soul Society. He had found something deeply unsettling about him, but didn't know what. His mind then flashed back to that night, and he saw the light reflecting of the glasses. _Is it possible that...? _He grabbed his head in pain.

"Hanataro," a voice called out, and Hanataro looked around, and saw Isane with both Sado and Renji on a blanket, "these two need help!"

"A-all right!" Hanataro ran forward, and went to work, his healing kido already mending their wounds. _The wounds are all from brunt force, _Hanataro thought, _not a blade. It should be easy to heal. _As he thought this, he struggled against the reiatsu emanating from the fighters.

-

"Are you all right," Isane said, supporting Sado tenderly.

"Yes," Chad said, "thank you, Vice-Captain Kotetsu."

"*sigh* I guess I owe you two now, Hanataro," Renji said, working out the kinks in his neck.

"You don't need to owe me anything," Hanataro said, only thankful that they were all right.

"That Espada..." Chad said, watching the form of a recent dust cloud, "he's the strongest of them all."

"Is it just me," Renji said, a dumb-founded look on his face, "or is that guy even bigger and uglier than before?"

At that moment, Rukia flash-stepped over to them. "It's worse than we thought."

"Rukia-san," Hanataro shouted, seeing the beaten Rukia standing there. "Are you all right?!" He ran over to her, and used some healing Kido.

"I'm fine, Hanataro," she said kindly, "and I'm thankful for your help."

Hanataro smiled at Rukia, but deep inside...he kept his anger in check; anger at the Espada he knew he stood no chance against, for not only hurting Renji, and Ichigo's friend, Sado, but Rukia as well. Unohana once taught him: _"A healer should never be angry, since it's our duty to heal, not kill. So even if you really want to, Hanataro, please, don't get angry." _It was an odd request, but he followed it to the letter.

Ichigo...

"Rukia-san," Hanataro asked, "where's Ichigo?"

Rukia cast down-turned eyes. "He went to Fake Karakura Town, to fight Aizen."

Hanataro, Renji and Sado were shocked at the development. "Alone?!" Renji shouted. "What does he think he can accomplish?!"

"Captain Unohana went with him," Rukia quickly said, "so we don't need to panic, but..." She fell silent.

"What's wrong, Rukia-san?" Hanataro asked.

"...When he came down from the Dome," she began, "his eyes...they weren't the eyes of a man who was victorious, nor were they the eyes of someone prepared to strike down his enemy. Shortly after he came down, he fought Yammy, but was...over-whelmed."

Hanataro became scared; Ichigo was beaten by the Espada Captains Kuchiki and Kenpachi were fighting? He knew that Ichigo had beaten both Captains in Soul Society when he was rescuing Rukia. He found it amazing that Ichigo could do that, but to find that the two Captains were fighting someone who over-whelmed Ichigo...

"Hanataro," she said, snapping Hanataro back to reality, "Ichigo's mask was different from the one you found; the one you told me about."

Hanataro's eyes widened as Rukia described the appearance of the mask. "That column of light I saw," Hanataro asked, "you don't think that...?"

"...I'm not sure what to think," she said to Hanataro, Renji and Sado, "all I know is that something terrible must have happened on the Dome."

Their attention was distracted by the scattered dust cloud, and saw a giant, simian version of Yammy. "He-He _is _bigger and uglier than before," Renji shouted in shock.

"How did he under-go such a change," Sado said, keeping his composure.

"Apparently, his power is rage," Rukia explained to the Nakama and Hanataro, "as he grows angrier, his form changes."

"So...we didn't face his full power," Sado spoke, a mild cold sweat breaking out on his face.

"Apparently, not even close," Rukia stated, "and something was severely wrong with Ichigo when he fought him in the first form; even with the new mask, Getsuga Tenshou could only scratch Yammy. His cloak was in tatters, so it's possible he was only at half-power, but Nii-sama and Captain Kenpachi proceeded to easily fight Yammy before his transformation, doing far more damage than Ichigo managed to do. Then he transformed..."

"YOU PATHETIC INSECTS!!!" Yammy roared, his massive voice carrying over Hueco Mundo, as he bled from various cuts along his massive body. As Hanataro looked at the Captains, he saw that both of them looked exhausted, and Kenpachi even had his eye-patch off. "You still think you can beat me?! After all the punishment I've taken and dished out! Just give up already and DIE, you trash!"

"What's the big deal with you, ugly?" Kenpachi shouted back at him. "All you've got is extra bulk, and an even uglier face. I could keep at this all day," he said with a maniacal smile, "and it'd be fun while it lasts. Besides, neither of us have even got started yet. In the end, your head will be mine!"

"WHY YOU-" He screamed, but then saw Hanataro, and the Nakama. He smiled grotesquely. "Hey, Shinigami. How much do you value those weaklings over there?"

With a speed that was impressive, especially with his massive size, he swung at Byakuya and Kenpachi, catching them off-guard, and knocked them both into one of the tall, red buildings, and then barrelled towards the small building Hanataro and the others were on.

"Shit," Renji yelled, "everyone, RUN!"

He barely managed to call Bankai, and get Sado and Isane on Hiho Zabimaru, before Yammy brought his fist down, smashing the building, and knocking Hanataro and Rukia away. As Hanataro stopped rolled on the sand, he saw Rukia's figure fall to the sand, once again battered and bloody. His memories flared up of that night long ago, and the instant Yammy hit the building, and the moments after that: Rukia had grabbed him, and tossed him away from the building as Yammy brought his fists down.

He protected her, the same way Keiko tried to... "You..." he said silently, "why did you do that to us...to Rukia?!" His voice built to a shout, and he ran towards Rukia, with Hisagomaru drawn. Even if he couldn't do anything against this giant Arrancar, he was going to try. He laid Hisagomaru tenderly on Rukia's chest wound, and it absorbed power. "What did we ever do to you?!"

"Eh, are you scared, you pathetic runt?" Yammy stated. "It doesn't matter who they are, I'll kill anyone who even annoys me a little."

Hanataro gritted his teeth, as a single tear formed in his eyes, as he looked down at Rukia. _Ichigo put his life on the line to save her, _he thought, _so...I won't let her die here! Ichigo would never forgive me if I let her die!_

The guage on Hisagomaru filled to maximum, and Rukia sat up. "Th...thank you, Hanataro." She said, exhausted still from the injury.

"Huh, you still alive, *****?" Yammy said, "Seems like I didn't hit it hard enough."

"MITASE, HISAGOMARU!" Hanataro screamed, and his blade formed into a scalpel, and he swung it at Yammy, aiming for his head. Hanataro was furious at the Espada, and he wasn't containing it. Even so, what he just said wasn't Hisagomaru's real release. It was a release that toned down the blade's actual power, since Hanataro didn't like how destructive Hisagomaru really was, and sometimes worried if he really was a Healing-type Zanpakuto.

The red energy collided with Yammy's face, and he flinched. "Is that all, runt?" He bellowed.

"I...I...I WON'T LET YOU HURT RUKIA, YOU MONSTER!!" Hanataro screamed at the Espada, his heart filled with anger at the monster that stood before him, a voice inside him goading his anger on.

Isane was shocked; never had she ever seen Hanataro so angry at someone. In fact, no matter who bullied him, he never got angry in Soul Society. _What's with this change, Hanataro, _she thought in worry.

"Pathetic...you nobody." Yammy brought his fist down, and Hanataro's gaze was suddenly enveloped in darkness...

-

_Hanataro cried and cried as he was held in his father's arms, tears streaming down his face. He had woken up that morning in severe pain, and saw a pool of blood where Keiko's body was. She was gone._

"_Daddy," he cried into his father's shirt, "why...why did this happen?"_

_For once, he couldn't answer, and hugged his son tighter. "I...I don't know why, or who...?"_

"_Daddy," Hanataro whispered, "the scary man injected me with something..."_

_Seinosuke already knew; he saw the puncture mark that led directly into Hanataro's heart. "I'll find out what it is," he said, and he waved a hand over Hanataro's eyes, "okay?" Hanataro's vision went black..._

_-_

_He woke up a while later, in a room that wasn't...home. "Daddy," he cried out, looking around the small room, "Daddy, where are you?!"_

"_**Have you already gone over him?" **A voice said. **Daddy, **Hanataro thought, and ran to the door, which was locked. _

"_**Yes," an elderly voice said, "here's the results..."**_

_A moment later, the sound of wood hitting the floor echoed. **"No," **Seinosuke said in denial, **"No, not my son!"**_

"_**I know this must be hard, Yamada-san," **the elderly voice said, **"but the evidence is undeniable. Captain Unohana has also gone over the boy, but...not even the Kido Corps can explain this."**_

"_**We can't let anyone find out," **a woman's voice said, and Hanataro recognized it as Unohana's. **"If the Central 46 found out, they'd..."**_

"_**It won't come to that, Retsu!" **This was the first time that Hanataro ever heard his father say Unohana's first name. **"It...it can't! ...And it won't. I've decided to become the new Kido Captain after Tessai broke the law with forbidden Kido. No record of this will get out, understood?"**_

"_**...Yes, Captain Yamada. Just in case, I suggest that along with this...power, we also keep Hanataro's power at it's lowest possible level. There's no telling what could happen if it gets loose."**_

_**-**_

_It was many years later, after Hanataro had forgotten the horrible incident, and everything that transpired with it, and he was being inducted into Squad 4. "I hereby place you in Squad 4 as 7th Seat, Yamada Hanataro."_

_Hanataro smiled with the usual light he had at Captain Unohana. "Thank you, Captain Unohana."_

_**Hanataro doesn't remember, **Unohana thought in thankfulness, **but if those tests were right...**_

"_7th Seat Yamada Hanataro," she stated. "Yes?" Hanataro said enthusiastically._

"_Remember this: it is a medic's job to heal, no matter who it may be. Be prepared to strike down an enemy if it attacks you. A healer should never be angry, since it's our duty to heal, not kill. So even if you really want to, Hanataro, please, **don't get angry**. Remember that, Hanataro."_

_-_

_**Sorry**, _a voice echoed in Hanataro's mind, _**I failed you, Captain Unohana**._

-

A massive cloud of dust picked up as Yammy's hand impacted where Hanataro and Rukia were.

"RUKIA!!" Byakuya screamed, too late to reach where they were.

"RUKIA!!" Renji and Sado screamed, fearing for her life.

But even before the dust cleared, they saw shock and disbelief on Yammy's face. _What could have...?_ Isane thought, and was immediately answered by a massive reiatsu emanating from where Hanataro was. It was so huge, so massive, and...so cold. But it **was **Hanataro's reiatsu that Isane felt. Her hands covered her mouth as the dust cleared. _Hanataro... _she thought, tears streaming down her face, _What...what's happened to you?_

_-_

"Hana...taro...?" Rukia spoke in disbelief, as Hanataro had caught Yammy's fist with his bare hand.

"**Don't be scared, Kuchiki Rukia."**

Rukia gasped in shock; it was...but it wasn't Hanataro's voice!

"**I remember everything now," **Hanataro spoke in an echoing voice, "**what happened that night, 100 years ago..."**

Rukia was shocked and amazed at the same time. The voice didn't sound human, but was...filled with an unusual warmth and kindness. A white substance with a grey, metallic colour, gathered around his face. **"Aizen. He came to the house, and killed Keiko, the sitter. Hanataro was furious at him, and tried in vain to attack him."**

_This voice, _Rukia thought, _the way he's speaking..._ "Hanataro, what's happening to you?"

"**He injected Hanataro with a white substance, and...here I am. Please, don't be afraid, Rukia..."** He turned his head.

Rukia gasped, and shed a single tear for Hanataro: the material had gathered in a half-mask around Hanataro's face, lines of metallic gray going over his eye hole, and his eyes had gone black with a yellow iris, yet still...there was a compassionate smile on his face, as Hanataro's Hollow took over. **"Sosogi, Hiiro Hisagomaru."**

His scalpel, originally only about three-inches long, suddenly charged again, and extended into a long, katana-sized blade, with the scalpel's shape and sharpness maintained, and a red energy gathered along the blade. It's master's power had returned. **"Ichigo gave it his all to save you, in Soul Society" **he said kindly, **"and so, I will now do the same thing, and protect you for him."**

He twisted the hilt of his blade, and swung it, a long straight cut slashing across Yammy's arm...


	3. Cataclysm

Cataclysm

Everyone's eyes widened in utter disbelief as the cut on Yammy's arm ran all the way up to his shoulder, and even Kenpachi was shocked when half of Yammy's arm suddenly slid straight off.

"Wha...YEARRRRGH!!" Yammy roared out in pain, and then **tore** the useless limb straight off his body. "YOU LITTLE BASTARD!!"

He brought his fist down, only to hit nothing but ground. He quickly looked around, and saw the boy over where the other Shinigami were.

-

"Hanataro..." Sado said in shock, as Hanataro set Rukia down. As Rukia turned back to see Hanataro's face, his kind features were now completely covered by his mask, the metallic gray lines, increased in number. _Hanataro, _Rukia thought, _what's happening to you?_

"**Get Rukia out of here," **Hanataro's Hollow spoke, "**I'll deal with this monster." **He turned back to see Yammy screaming out into the sky, as his reiatsu continued to expand. Suddenly, the hole where his missing arm was became consumed by a white substance, and it exploded outward, and formed a new arm.

"**Regeneration," **the Hollow said....and broke out into a cold cackling that chilled everyone's spines, "**this fight may actually be FUN!"** In an instant, he launched forward, and slashed Yammy across the shoulder, beginning to laugh as he did so. _That same laughter, _Byakuya thought, _it's just like Ichigo when..._

"**Is that enormous size your only weapon?" **Hanataro's Hollow taunted. **"How pathetic! Cero Espada? What the hell makes you worthy of such a rank?"**

Infuriated by the Hollow's sudden talk, Yammy threw a fist forward, only to have his fingers cut off by Hiiro Hisagomaru. "**Let me show you and this kid, how to **_**really **_**fight!"**

"You son of a..." Yammy growled, and his reiatsu went up more from his rage.

-

"What the hell's going on?!" Renji questioned. "That's not Hanataro at all!"

"It's obvious from just looking, and feeling his reiatsu," Sado told Renji, having heard of Hanataro from Ichigo, "his power must have been sealed away, so his Hollow wouldn't come out. But to think of this from Hanataro of all people..."

_Just like Ichigo, _Rukia thought, worried as she saw Hanataro's Hollow tearing into Yammy, _only Hanataro never had any idea. I hope he pulls through, and-_

"Kyahahaha," a cackling voice said, and Rukia looked behind her to see Mayuri walking to where they were, "How very interesting. How much I would like to-"

He was interuppted by three Shinigami blades pointed at his face, and Sado's Left Arm of the Devil forming. "Lay one finger on him," Isane said coldy, "and you're dead." Rukia could see it on Isane's face that her tears hadn't yet stopped.

Mayuri's eyes narrowed. "Tch, all right. Besides, even if I tried, the things Unohana would do to me..." Rukia didn't know if it was possible, but Mayuri was **shivering **at the thought of what Unohana would do to him**. **

-

"I never thought I would see this," Byakuya muttered, watching Yammy, whose second form even both of them combined had trouble with, thrashing around in desperation to catch Hanataro, "especially from that boy."

"Tch, a Fourth Squad runt taking away all my fun," Kenpachi muttered.

"Is that Hana-chan?" Byakuya looked to Kenpachi's shoulder to see Yachiru just hanging there as if she never left. _When did she get there? _"Amazing! Just like Ichi-chan!"

"Yes," Kenpachi said, and sighed. "Such a bore." He sat down, and decided to watch the fight. He was getting bored anyway from swinging his blade against that giant Espada. After all, what's the fun of fighting an opponent if the chances of hitting them were 1:1?

-

It was only five minutes, and Yammy was panting on the ground, his regeneration having trouble keeping up with Hanataro's Hollow. **"Tch, what a bore," **it said, **"is this all you've got?"**

Everyone was in disbelief; Hanataro had gone from being a 7th Seat, to being the equivalent of an Elite Captain going all out. "_Kuchiki-san!"_

Rukia's eyes widened slightly, and turned back to see Inoue and Ishida coming from the towers. "Inoue-san," Rukia questioned, seeing Orihime's worried face, and Ishida's, "what's wrong?"

"The-The Hogyoku wasn't there," she cried desperately, "it's gone!"

"The Hogyoku's gone," Renji questioned, "but where?"

"We don't know," Ishida said, "Inoue was supposed to use her ability to reject it, but-"

"Reject it," Isane questioned, hearing the battle re-commence behind her, "what do you mean?"

Orihime then began to explain everything that Aizen told her. "Is that what Aizen meant by... 'Phenomenon Rejection'?" Renji asked in disbelief. "You think she can reject the Hogyoku?"

"But it wasn't there!" Orihime screamed. "It...It doesn't make any sense!"

"Aizen must have it with him," Sado said, and everyone turned their attention to him.

"It would make sense that Aizen would have it," Rukia agreed. "But...there's one thing I don't get; he may have taken it with him to avoid such an incident, but why would he show you the Hogyoku if he knew you could possibly reject it?"

Orihime was quick to reply_...a little too quick_, Uryu worried. "We just have to go to Karakura Town," she pleaded, "Kurosaki-kun's there, so he'll be able to beat Aizen! He said he would!"

"Inoue, Uryu," Sado questioned, "just what happened on the dome?"

This question froze them. Uryu looked at Inoue, and saw her eyes shaking. _She still hasn't recovered from seeing...that,_ Uryu thought. He looked over to where Yammy was fighting, and found Byakuya and Kenpachi separate from the fight. _But if they're there, and Mayuri's here, _he thought, cursing Mayuri's name for the horrors he inflicted on the Quincy, _then who's...?_

"That's something I'm worried about too," Rukia asked, "and it's okay if you don't want to talk about it, but whatever happened on there, has affected Ichigo for the worse. That's another reason for us going back to the Fake Karakura Town: to back him up against Aizen if we can."

Uryu noticed that Inoue seemed to want to respond, so he quickly asked: "Kuchiki-san, who's fighting Yammy if not the Captains?"

"ISHIDAAAAAA!!!"

Everyone looked up as Yammy lifted his fist, and swung it down. Suddenly, a masked figure used _Sonido _to appear right below his fist, and blocked it. "Wh...who is...?" Inoue said aloud, her voice visibly shaking from the dark reiatsu coming from the figure. The figure lifted it's head...and Inoue stepped back in fear from seeing the mask.

"Rukia," Uryu asked, more shocked than scared, "who is...?"

"...Hanataro." Isane replied for Rukia.

Uryu took off his glasses, and rubbed them in disbelief, to see if his eyes were failing him; _Hanataro as in Yamada Hanataro, 7__th__ Seat of Squad 4, _Uryu thought in shock, _I can't believe it!_

"**Hey, bastard," **the Hollow spoke, and Uryu looked over, and saw Inoue's eyes shaking in fear. _She's scared, _Uryu thought sadly, _whatever has happened to Kurosaki, it's happened to Hanataro, and she's remembering that fact. _**"Your fight is with me." **He then shoved Yammy's fist away, and Sonido'ed behind him.

"But...but how?" Inoue said in disbelief. "How can that possibly be...Yamada-san?"

Rukia registered the fear in Inoue's voice, and thought back to that column of light that screamed down from the Dome where Ichigo was fighting Ulquiorra: it was Hollow-like in nature, but it **was **Ichigo's reiatsu. Seeing what was happening with Hanataro, she put two and two together, and realized the awful truth behind what happened on the dome. _Ichigo...he lost, _her eyes widened at the revelation, _and his Hollow took over, and..._ She calmed herself. _I can't go making conclusions. He'll tell us when the time is right._

"WHY YOU!!!!" Everything was interrupted by Yammy's loud roar, and they turned their eyes back to the battle, their thoughts off the Dome at the moment. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU!!" After saying that, Yammy licked the blood off of his hands, and opened his mouth wide. A blue orb began to form in his mouth. "THIS IS THE ULTIMATE CERO. TRY TO BLOCK THIS, RUNT!"

"**Sosogi, Akeiro Hisagomaru**." Everyone's eyes widened, even Kenpachi's (just a little), as the giant scalpel glowed red, and morphed into a giant cannon even bigger than Hanataro himself, and began to charge a red energy. "Hey," Renji asked nervously, a ridiculous smile on his face, "did his Shikai just change into...a freakin' CANNON?"

Despite it being a rhetorical question, Sado answered with a sweat-drop. "Yes. He did."

"GRAN REY CERO!" The advanced Cero fired, as did Akeiro Hisagomaru, and the two attacks collided, their reiatsu mixing together as they collided, to form a purple glow. The struggle lasted for 15 seconds, and with a Hollow-like roar, Hanataro's hollow put all the power he had into Akeiro Hisagomaru, and promptly ripped through the Gran Rey Cero, and bathed Yammy in red energy. "KYYAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!"

When the dust cleared, Yammy's entire body was charred, and he collapsed to the ground. "A-amazing!" Rukia spoke, to break the silence. "Hanataro's hollow...he beat Aizen's strongest Espada!"

From where she could see, Rukia saw the mask break, and Hanataro collapsed to the ground. "HANATARO!" Rukia and Isane flash-stepped to where Hanataro was, and was followed by Sado and Renji. "Hanataro, are you all right?" Rukia asked.

Hanataro's eyes flickered, and then opened. They looked at Rukia in bewilderment. "I just had the most unbelievable dream. I had a Hollow mask, and..." He looked at where Yammy was, and looked astonished. "So...it wasn't a dream?" He stared wide-eyed at Isane and Hanataro.

Isane smiled, and shed a few tears; Hanataro was back to normal. "Hanataro..." She hugged Hanataro, sobbing softly in the process.

"It's going to take a while to explain," Rukia said. "But for now," she said, helping Hanataro up, "we best get to Karakura Town." She felt Hanataro's reiatsu; it was completely back to normal, as if what had happened with his Hollow never happened.

"It doesn't matter," Hanataro said, and closed his eyes and smiled. "At least I managed to protect Rukia-san and everyone else, didn't I?"

Rukia smiled softly; even with what happened, Hanataro was still himself. "Yes, Hanataro; you did."

"Now that this "touching" reunion is over," Mayuri said sarcastically, "shall we get going?" He and Nemu flash-stepped towards the pillar they used to create a Garganta. "Once we create this Garganta, it will have to be sustainable until we reach Karakura Town. I guess I better bring my experiments with me," Mayuri stated, as he looked at his carriage.

Curious, Rukia and Hanataro looked into the cart. "WHAAA??!!" They said simultaneously, in shock, as they saw Pesche and Donchakka in the carriage, as well as baby Nel...but what shocked them the most was _Grimmjow's _presence. "Wh-what are you doing here?!"

"That mad scientist dragged me in here," he stated, still bloodied and wounded from his fight with Ichigo, "he only treated me enough so I would stay alive. I don't have enough strength to do anything to you in any case."

"Pardon me," Nemu asked kindly, "but please step away from the carriage."

"Ah, y-yes, Vice-Captain Kurostuchi," Hanataro said with a nervous smile. He then remember the other two bodies wrapped in black cloth in Mayuri's carriage. _Whose bodies were those...?_

-

After extensive preparation, Mayuri and Nemu managed to create a sustainable Garganta.

"All right," Byakuya said, and ordered: "Let's go help Ichigo."

The group departed through the Garganta, Byakuya shortly followed by Rukia and Kenpachi, whom Hanataro held onto so he didn't get left behind. "Hanataro," Rukia asked, "how do you really feel about what happened?"

"...I guess I'm scared," Hanataro admitted, "because what happens if he comes out again, and..."

"_**What happened back there was all I could do in that incident,"**_ his hollow's voice rang in his head, "_**if you are worried about me coming out again, don't bother; it won't happen for a while."**_

Hanataro smiled softly. "Don't worry, Rukia-san," he said, "he won't come out again for a while; long enough for me to gain some control over him, I hope."

Rukia smiled, and looked back forward, "That's all that I wanted to know."

-

"**Unforgivable**." The memory of Ichigo lopping off his arm passed through his head, and his Getsuga Tenshou hitting him.

"**Unforgivable."**Urahara Kisuke, and his countering Yammy's Bala, and his fake gigai passed through his mind.

"**Unforgivable." **Uryu Ishida and the land mine flashed through his mind.

"**Unforgivable." **Byakuya and Kenpachi tearing into him flashed through his mind, as he got back up from the ground.

Veins appeared in his eyes, as he remembered Hanataro's Hollow's words, and the punishment he just put him through: **_"How pathetic! Cero Espada? What the hell makes you worthy of such a rank?"_**

"**UNFORGIVABLE!!!!!!" **Yammy screamed into the sky, and his body cracked and splintered as a black light emitted from his body. In an instant, his body exploded!

The Dome of Las Noches splintered and crumbled, and fell in on itself from the enormous power coming from that explosion. All the excess energy from the explosion swirled and converged onto a single point, and as the dust settled, a figure stood there.

"Cero Espada? What the hell made him worthy of such a rank?" This was the answer...


End file.
